Is he stargazing or just being silly?

[Lauukin]

My new Syrian Joji has been slowly exploring his cage the past 3 days (I've had him 3 days.) While I haven't touched him yet (aside from putting him in the cage) I have watched him.

Joji was sitting and grooming and my boyfriend looked at him through the glass, and Joji went total 'deer in headlights' for like 2 minutes. After that he went back to grooming, but it was like....in that show 'thats so raven' where she had a 'vision'. 🤣 I have a picture attached.

At the time, it was cute but odd. But now I'm worried he may have a neurological problem. He was an accidental pregnancy via improper sexing at a pet store (his mothers owner says she was with the males), which means...aren't all the hamsters in pet stores related? Is incest/inbreeding more likely to give neurological issues?

I feel like one of those crazy parents who sees their kid sneeze once then take them to the hospital hysterically crying, but I'm worried!!


Syrian Male, shorthair cream-coat born April 11th 2017

[Drago]

Hamsters naturally gaze off into the distance, though they're not actually looking for anything. Rather, they're listening to or smelling something of interest. Does his nose/whiskers twitch while he's staring? Or do you notice his ears flicking and swiveling? If so, it's likely nothing to worry over best wishes

[cypher]

It sounds like freezing which they will do, especially when young or nervous, if they hear something or see something they're unsure of or something just startles them, it's quite normal.

[AprilPearl]

When startled, hamsters will often freeze. I guess they are trying to avoid being seen by any potential predators, while determining whether there is a threat. For example, if they see a movement or hear a noise which surprises them, they might freeze. Your hamster is still young and getting settled - he probably wasn't expecting your boyfriend's face to appear next to him! Hamsters don't have particularly good eyesight and this, combined with their prey animal instincts, leads them to automatically assume anything unexpected might be dangerous. Once he gets used to the fact that faces do often look in at him, he will probably do this less.

[FelicityAnn]

Here on the campsite we have peacocks (!!) and Esmeralda used to freeze when she heard them call - they are LOUD. Now, she just carries on as normal. They just have to get used to new things and sounds, and as soon as they realise there's no danger, they ignore them

[Burakki]

When my Marti starts to wake up and is just wandering around her cage trying to clear her mind, she sometimes gets spooked by some noises and freezes. I usually talk to her softly to let her know that it's just me and she calms down and continues doing her waking up process. Due to their poor sight hamsters mostly recognize us by the smell and the sound of our voice. Once your ham settles and gets used to you and your bf, he will stop being easily spooked and will be comforted by you instead.

[InkyPen]

He sounds absolutely fine. This is what stargazing actually looks like - it's basically repeated, involuntary backflips. I've never heard of it happening in Syrians before https://youtu.be/xerNAMiaEe8

[AprilPearl]

Inky that is so cute and funny... As long as it isn't a symptom of some underlying illness!

[cypher]

April sadly it's a neurological disorder that can be very distressing for the hamster.

[AprilPearl]

Oh that's horrible poor thing. Didn't seem as though the person who uploaded that video knew judging by its description.